Iranian Singer Parastoo Ahmady Arrested For Performing In Online Youtube Concert Without Hijab

Iranian Singer Parastoo Ahmady Arrested For Performing In Online Youtube Concert Without Hijab


International

-Sathish Raman

Google Oneindia News

A
female
singer
in
Iran
has
been
detained
after
performing
a
virtual
concert
on
YouTube,
according
to
lawyer
Milad
Panahipour.

Parastoo
Ahmady,
27,
was
taken
into
custody
in
Sari
City,
the
capital
of
Mazandaran
province.
Her
arrest
followed
a
judiciary
case
filed
over
her
performance
without
a
hijab,
where
she
wore
a
long
black
sleeveless
dress
and
was
accompanied
by
four
male
musicians.

Photo
Credit:
https://www.youtube.com/@ParastooAhmadii

The
online
concert,
which
Ahmady
shared
on
YouTube,
has
garnered
over
1.4
million
views.
In
her
post,
she
stated:
“I
am
Parastoo,
a
girl
who
wants
to
sing
for
the
people
I
love.
This
is
a
right
I
could
not
ignore;
singing
for
the
land
I
love
passionately.” The
performance
has
drawn
significant
attention
due
to
its
defiance
of
Iranian
laws
regarding
women’s
public
appearances.

Legal
Uncertainty
Surrounding
Arrest

Panahipour
expressed
uncertainty
about
the
charges
against
Ahmady,
her
arresting
authority,
or
her
detention
location.
He
mentioned
plans
to
pursue
the
matter
through
legal
channels.
Additionally,
two
musicians
from
Ahmady’s
band,
Soheil
Faghih
Nasiri
and
Ehsan
Beiraghdar,
were
also
arrested
in
Tehran
on
the
same
day.

In
Iran,
following
the
1979
Islamic
Revolution,
women
faced
restrictions
on
singing
and
dancing
before
mixed-gender
audiences.
Female
singers
are
only
permitted
to
perform
for
male
audiences
as
part
of
a
chorus
or
in
female-only
gatherings.
These
regulations
reflect
broader
societal
norms
enforced
by
Iranian
and
Islamic
law.

Hijab
as
a
Political
Symbol

The
hijab
has
become
a
significant
political
symbol
in
Iran
since
it
became
mandatory
after
the
1979
revolution.
For
devout
Muslim
women,
it
represents
piety
and
modesty
before
God
and
men
outside
their
families.
The
all-encompassing
black
chador
worn
by
some
women
further
underscores
this
symbolism.

Protests
erupted
across
Iran
in
2022
after
Mahsa
Amini’s
death
following
her
arrest
by
morality
police
for
allegedly
not
wearing
her
hijab.
This
incident
led
to
widespread
demonstrations
and
defiance
against
strict
dress
codes.
Although
enforcement
relaxed
temporarily
to
avoid
further
unrest,
recent
weeks
have
seen
a
shift
in
authorities’
tone.

The
situation
highlights
ongoing
tensions
between
cultural
expression
and
religious
regulations
in
Iran.
As
authorities
continue
to
enforce
dress
codes
and
restrict
women’s
public
performances,
incidents
like
Ahmady’s
arrest
underscore
the
challenges
faced
by
those
seeking
artistic
freedom.



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